The integration of transactional workflows that are distributed across multiple contact centers is described herein. Respective agent interfaces can execute concurrently with applications running at two or more contact centers. These interfaces enable agents at the contact centers to conduct respective interactions with a customer. As the interactions progresses, the agents can enter data related to the interactions via the agent interfaces. The agent interfaces need not be integrated with the applications or the contact center infrastructure, thereby eliminating the expense of performing such integration. Instead, the agents can use both the application and the agent interfaces concurrently while interacting with the customer. Data entered by one agent via the interface can be made available to the other agent, thereby enabling the agents to cooperate with one another, and integrating the respective interactions into a cohesive transactional workflow.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A system, comprising: a processor, including: an agent interface, executable at a contact center concurrently with an application, to: enable an agent to conduct a live interaction with a customer as part of a first transaction, and receive data relating to the interaction during the course of the live interaction; at least one further agent interface, executable at least one further contact center corresponding to an entity separate from an entity corresponding to the agent interface, to: enable at least one further agent to conduct at least a further live interaction with an intent to complete a separate intended outcome that is independent of a completion of an outcome associated with the first transaction with the customer as part of a second transaction that is unrelated to the first transaction, provide the data to the further agent during the course of the further live interaction, and receive further data relating to the further live interaction; and a workflow management component coupled to the non-integrated infrastructures of the agent interface and the at least one further agent interface to: receive authorization from the user to be placed in contact with the at least one further agent interface as part of the second transaction that is unrelated to the first transaction; receive the data from the agent interface, transfer the live interaction between the agent and the customer to the further live interaction between the at least one further agent and the customer, upon concluding the live interaction between the agent and the customer, as part of the second transaction that is unrelated to the first transaction, provide the data to the at least one further agent via the at least one further agent interface, and receive the further data from the at least one further agent interface as part of an integrated workflow performed in connection with the agent and the at least one further agent.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the agent interface is not integrated with the application.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the agent interface is to further receive data entered manually by the agent.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the agent interface is to further receive data that is populated automatically.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the workflow management component is associated with a third party relative to the contact center and the at least one further contact center.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one further agent interface is to further receive further data from the at least one further agent, and wherein the workflow management component is coupled to receive the further data from the at least one further agent interface.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the workflow management component includes a data store adapted at least to receive the data from the agent and to provide the data to the further agent.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the workflow management component is responsive to at least one request from a manager associated with the contact center for a report pertaining to performance metrics related to the contact center.
9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the workflow management component is responsive to at least one request from a manager associated with the at least one further contact center for a report pertaining to performance metrics related to the at least one further contact center.
10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the workflow management component includes a report generation component that is to retrieve data from the data store relating to interactions involving at least the agent and the at least one further agent, and wherein the report generation component is to cross-reference data relating to interactions involving the agent against further data relating to further interactions involving the at least one further agent.
11. A workflow management component, comprising: a processor, including: a data store; and a server to: push content to an agent interface related to a first network infrastructure accessible by an agent at a contact center, receive data from the agent interface and store the same in the data store when authorized by a user as part of a first live transaction with the user, transfer the first live transaction with the user to at least one further agent interface related to a second network infrastructure at the end of the first live interaction between the agent and the user, push at least the data to at least the one further agent interface accessible by at least one further agent at least one further contact center corresponding to an entity separate from an entity corresponding to the agent interface as part of a user-authorized discrete, second live transaction with the user of which an intended outcome is independent of completion of an outcome associated with the first live transaction, and receive further data from the at least one further agent interface and to store the same in the data store.
12. The workflow management component of claim 11 , wherein the server is adapted to receive at least one request for a report of performance metrics relating to the contact center.
13. The workflow management component of claim 11 , wherein the server is adapted to provide reports of performance metrics to at least one of the contact center and the at least one further contact center.
14. The workflow management component of claim 11 , further comprising a report generation component to: retrieve data from the data store relating to past interactions involving at least the agent and the at least one further agent, and cross-reference data relating to past interactions involving the agent against further data relating to further interactions involving the further agent.
15. One or more computer readable media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct a computing device to: push data to an agent interface that is accessible by an agent at a contact center during a customer-authorized real-time transaction with the customer; receive, from the agent interface, data that is related to an integrated transactional workflow involving the contact center and at least one further contact center as authorized by the customer; push at least a portion of the data to at least one further agent interface in a non-integrated infrastructure that is accessible to at least one further agent at the further contact center corresponding to an entity separate from an entity corresponding to the agent interface for a subsequent discrete real-time transaction, of which an intended outcome is independent of completion of an outcome associated with an outcome of the real-time transaction with the agent at the contact center, after concluding the real-time transaction between the agent and the customer; and receive at least further data from a browser that is further related to the integrated transactional workflow.
16. The computer readable media of claim 15 , wherein the instructions directing the computing device to push data include instructions directing the computing device to push data that guides the agent in interacting with at least the customer as at least part of the integrated transactional workflow.
17. The computer readable media of claim 15 , wherein the instructions directing the computing device to receive data include instructions directing the computing device to receive data pertaining to at least one customer involved in the integrated transactional workflow.
18. The computer readable media of claim 15 , wherein the instructions directing the computing device to receive data include instructions directing the computing device to receive data pertaining to at least one interaction related to the integrated transactional workflow.
19. The computer readable media of claim 15 , wherein the instructions directing the computing device to push at least a portion of the data include instructions directing the computing device to push data pertaining to at least the customer involved in the integrated transactional workflow.
20. The computer readable media of claim 15 , wherein the instructions directing the computing device to push at least a portion of the data include instructions directing the computing device to push data pertaining to at least one interaction related to the integrated transactional workflow.
21. The computer readable media of claim 15 , wherein the instructions directing the computing device to receive at least further data include instructions directing the computing device to receive further data pertaining to at least the subsequent discrete real-time interaction involving at least the customer and related to the integrated transactional workflow.
22. The computer readable media of claim 15 , wherein the instructions directing the computing device to receive at least further data include instructions directing the computing device to receive further data pertaining to at least the subsequent discrete real-time interaction related to the integrated transactional workflow.
23. The computer readable media of claim 15 , wherein the instructions directing the computing device to receive data from the agent interface include instructions directing the computing device to receive data that is manually entered by the agent.
24. The computer readable media of claim 15 , wherein the instructions directing the computing device to receive data from the agent interface include instructions directing the computing device to receive data that is automatically populated.
25. The computer readable media of claim 15 , wherein the instructions directing the computing device to receive at least further data include instructions directing the computing device to receive data that is manually entered by the agent.
26. The computer readable media of claim 15 , wherein the instructions directing the computing device to receive at least further data include instructions directing the computing device to receive data that is automatically populated.
27. The computer readable media of claim 15 , further comprising instructions directing the computing device to receive at least one request for performance metrics relating to at least one of the contact center and the further contact center.
28. The computer readable media of claim 15 , further comprising instructions directing the computing device to provide at least one report of performance metrics relating to at least one of the contact center and the further contact center.
29. The computer readable media of claim 15 , further comprising instructions directing the computing device to cross-reference performance metrics related to the contact center with further performance metrics related to the further contact center.
30. One or more computer readable media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct a computing device to: receive data from a workflow management component; present the data on an agent interface that is accessible to an agent at a contact center during a customer-authorized real-time transactional interaction with the customer; in response to the presented data, receive further data relating to at least one concluded real-time transactional interaction between the agent and the customer as part of an integrated transactional workflow involving the contact center related to a first network infrastructure and at least a further contact center, corresponding to an entity separate from an entity corresponding to the agent interface, related to a second network infrastructure; and transmit at least a portion of the further data to the workflow management component for use in an unrelated customer-authorized real-time transaction interaction with the customer for which an intended outcome is independent of completion of an outcome associated with the real-time transactional interaction with the agent interface.
31. The computer readable media of claim 30 , wherein the instructions directing the computing device to receive data include instructions directing the computing device to receive data from a workflow management component that is not integrated with the contact center.
32. The computer readable media of claim 30 , wherein the instructions directing the computing device to receive data include instructions directing the computing device to receive data that guides the agent in interacting with the customer.
33. The computer readable media of claim 30 , wherein the instructions directing the computing device to present the data include instructions directing the computing device to present on the agent interface a form that includes at least one field to be manually completed by the agent.
34. The computer readable media of claim 30 , wherein the instructions directing the computing device to present the data include instructions directing the computing device to present on the agent interface a form that includes at least one field to be automatically populated.
35. The computer readable media of claim 30 , wherein the instructions directing the computing device to receive data include instructions directing the computing device to receive data via a form that is manually completed by the agent.
36. The computer readable media of claim 30 , wherein the instructions directing the computing device to receive data include instructions directing the computing device to receive data via a form that is, at least in part, automatically populated.
37. The computer readable media of claim 30 , wherein the instructions directing the computing device to receive data include instructions directing the computing device to receive data that guides the agent in performing a first interaction performed with a customer as part of the integrated workflow.
38. The computer readable media of claim 30 , wherein the instructions directing the computing device to receive data include instructions directing the computing device to receive data that guides the agent in performing the unrelated customer-authorized real-time transactional interaction performed with the customer as part of the integrated workflow.
39. The computer readable media of claim 30 , wherein the instructions directing the computing device to receive content include instructions directing the computing device to receive content, at least in part, from a further contact center in connection with a further interaction occurring previously to the interaction.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
October 7, 2005
March 27, 2012
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